This invention relates to spinning tops. More particularly, the invention relates to tops which provide an enhancement in the spinning time and which provide a competitive advantage when different tops compete by intentional collisions to determine which top will spin the longest.
Tops have existed for decades as toys for children. At the beginning, the tops were made from wood and were spun by winding a string on the body of the top, holding the free end of the string and releasing the top or projecting the top toward a support surface. The top became progressively unwound from the string before reaching the support surface and spun when it hit the support surface.
In more recent years, improvements have been provided in the implementation of the top to produce a spinning of the top. For example, a cap has been disposed on the top and has been provided with an aperture and a pinion gear in the aperture. A strap having teeth at one end to define a rack gear has been disposed in the aperture to become coupled to the pinion gear. When the strap has been pulled through the aperture, it has caused the gear to rotate. The gear in turn has caused the top to rotate. An advantage of this arrangement has been that the top has been disposed on a support surface and that the strap has been pulled from the aperture while the top has been disposed on the support surface.
Even with the advances in the tops as specified in the previous paragraph, children have been, and still are, seeking other advantages in the operation of the top. For example, children are always seeking to lengthen the period of time during which the top spins. Children are also interested in using the tops as offensive toy weapons in competitive games involving toys by having their tops bump other tops and prevent the other tops from spinning while their toys continue to spin.
A hollow rotatable member preferably made from a clear plastic material and a hollow cover are attached to each other in a spinnable top. A ring is disposed within the top on the cover at a position of the top""s substantially maximum diameter to provide stability and inertia to the top during the top""s rotation, thereby significantly increasing the top""s spinning time.
A cap fits tightly on the upper portion of the rotatable member. A strap having teeth defining a rack gear extends through an aperture in the cap and engages a pinion gear in the aperture. When the strap is pulled from the aperture, the pinion gear rotates and causes the top to spin. Because of the tight fit between the top and the cap, the top can be thrown outwardly and downwardly to a support surface and can be spinning as it reaches the support surface.
A belt is disposed on the cover at the position of the seam between the rotatable member and the cover. Depending upon their positioning and configuration, lugs on the belt also enhance the top""s stability and balance or destabilize and unbalance the top. Each player may have as collectible items a plurality of different belts with different lug configurations. The lugs strike competitive tops and prevent them from spinning. The belt may be provided with an increased height to facilitate the disposition of graphics (e.g., advertisements) on the belts. The graphics enhance the desire of children to consider the belts as collectible items.
The cap may have an increased vertical dimension to facilitate the manual holding of the top in a vertical direction when the strap is pulled from the cap aperture to initiate the top""s spinning. This increased vertical dimension of the cap prevents the user from interfering with the strap when the cap is pulled from the cap aperture. It also provides for a vertical disposition of the top on the support surface while the top is spinning. Lights may be disposed within the rotatable member to provide illuminations while the top is spinning.